Entertainment

Manchester United: Hard Times at Storied Soccer Club

Wayne Rooney of Manchester United competes with Jordi Amat of Swansea City during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Swansea City at Old Trafford on Aug. 16, 2014 in Manchester, England.

Even if you've never touched a soccer ball in your life, you've likely heard the name.

Thanks to a winning legacy and a long line of legendary players, Manchester United is one of the most popular sports franchises in the world. With more English Premier League titles than anyone else — and a fraternity of world-class former players including Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo — United is the type of club boys dream of playing for when they grow up.

But last season was an embarrassment for United, which struggled to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League — their worst final position since way back in 1990. Now, even armed with a top-flight new coach and the optimism of a fresh season, the Red Devils' 2014-2015 campaign is off to an awful start of its own, with three matches down and zero wins to show for it.

Manchester United has lost two games, one to Swansea City and one to Milton Keynes Dons, a team that plays in the third tier of the English football system. United drew its third match, against lowly Sunderland. All three matches should have been wins for the Red Devils.

This is far from the usual Manchester United soccer fans have come to know and expect. The only questions: Why? And how long will the malaise last?

Rough transition to a new system

After an impressive World Cup showing with the Dutch national team, manager Louis van Gaal took the reins of Manchester United in May from David Moyes, after Moyes was fired from the team in April following less than a year in the job.

Supporters thought van Gaal — known as a managerial great for his tactics and methodic approach to the game — would be able to bring some magic back to a Manchester United club desperately in need of a boost. But rejuvenation, optimistic supporters have found, doesn't come so easily.

Manchester United's manager Louis Van Gaal looks on ahead of their English Premier League soccer match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, England on Aug. 24, 2014.

Image: Scott Heppell/Associated Press

A rocketing performance in the club's U.S. tour this summer might have wrongly raised the expectations of many, even those aware of how little early pre-season matches mean. While no one expected United to immediately shoot back to the top of the table in a brutal Premier League, no one expected a start to the season like this.

But with his current player options, van Gaal doesn't have an ideal squad to play his signature 3-5-2 formation (three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards). Because of injuries, if Van Gaal wants to play his favored tactical lineup, he has to field young, untested players who aren't used to his formation.

Sure, with an attack composed of Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, and Juan Mata, you should be a deadly, goal-scoring machine. But that requires developing the play from the midfield, which requires possession, which — you guessed it — Manchester United lacks. The rest of the midfield is having trouble holding the ball and the defense can't stop a play to get the ball back.

"It will take van Gaal time to get this team right," Scholes, the retired United legend, wrote for The Independent in his analysis of the Milton Keynes Dons disaster. "I imagine there will be more difficult days for United fans before he does."

When did the cracks start to show?

It's not fair to place much blame on van Gaal when he's only managed his first match with the club on July 24. As is the case with any sports team that goes through a rough patch, it also takes a glance into the past to find where current problems originate.

Many United critics — fans and pundits alike — are looking back to 2008, when the club was on top and legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson commanded a squad brimming with superstar talent.

In 2008, everything was working for United. With stars Rooney, Carlos Tevez and phenom-turned-soccer-demigod Ronaldo leading the attack to go with a top defense centered around Patrice Evra, Manchester United was the definition of a complete squad — and had the results to back it up. The club won the UEFA Champions League against Chelsea that year and followed it up with their third-straight Premier League title (2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09).

But in the summer of 2009, Ronaldo was sold to Real Madrid for a record £80 million. At a time when teams such as Manchester City and Chelsea were starting to dish out major paychecks for elite players, Ferguson resisted paying inflated prices for new players. Ferguson was an old-school manager at a time when European soccer became much grander in scale and salary.

Even after Ronaldo's departure, and despite Ferguson's reluctance to buy big, Manchester United was still a formidable team. They brought in world-class talent such as Dutch striker Van Persie in 2012, and continued to take Premier League titles in the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson waves to supporters before his last game in charge of his team, their English Premier League soccer match away at West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns Stadium in West Bromwich, England on May. 19, 2013.

Image: Jon Super/Associated Press

But when Ferguson announced his retirement as manager after 27 years with the club in May 2013, new manager Moyes was left with a squad of older United vets (some past their prime) and untested talent.

It's not just Ferguson's lack of spending to blame for United's current problems, though. As one of the most respected managers in soccer history, Ferguson could make do with a less-complete squad by the standards of his competition (namely Chelsea and City) because he was just that good. Without him, players he inspired and developed throughout his tenure look lost on the field. It's telling that even players like Ronaldo still light up when they see Ferguson.

The solution?

With Manchester United's recent marquee purchase of Real Madrid midfielder Ángel Di Maria — the largest transfer fee in British history at £59.7 million — the club is now spending the way many believe it should have toward the end of Ferguson's tenure. With just days before the summer transfer windows closes on Sept. 1, Manchester United has spent the most money in the Premier League this year.

Maybe had Ferguson spent earlier, United would have a roster like those of Chelsea or Manchester City now — stacked with reserves who could easily start for most other Premier League sides.

This young season is only three weeks old. Rest assured the Red Devils will be back.

But after their worst start to the Premier League in 13 years — to follow their worst Premier League finish in more than 20 years — it looks like United's return to eminence under van Gaal will take a little bit longer than many fans might have hoped.

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